Chiang Yun-ting, a former hell guard who dedicated her life to service, sought deliverance through the compassionate teachings of Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre. This interview, recorded on April 3, 2026, chronicles her journey from the turmoil of the late Qing Dynasty to her eventual rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Chiang Yun-ting speaks:
". I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. I, your disciple Chiang Yun-ting, have today successfully arrived in the Buddha-land of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, along with sixty other prison guards. This place is so pure and filled with dignity; it is a magnificent realm beyond anything we could have ever imagined. We were originally guards in the hells—guards who took our duties very seriously. Even while in the hells, we had heard the sounds emanating from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. We knew that there was an awakened being there named Practitioner Su, who gives lectures every single day, answering people's questions and providing a path for all to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. We yearned for this, yet we never imagined that our turn to arrive here would come so soon. This transformation has happened so quickly, and we are filled with immense gratitude. We are grateful for the Buddha’s ; He did not abandon us, a group of 'children' who were hell guards, and He gave us the opportunity to hear the Buddha’s teachings before we arrived here. We have also worked very diligently to pass these Dharma sounds on to all the beings in the hells. Those with karmic affinity naturally hear them and gain the essence of the Dharma. This is what we have been working diligently and conscientiously to do all along."
A Life Defined by Change
"I was born during the chaotic final years of the Qing Dynasty. In that era, women were expected to bind their feet, and there was no freedom for us. My family was relatively open-minded; from a young age, my father allowed me to choose whether or not to bind my feet, and I resolutely decided against it. This choice proved to be of great help to my future life. By the time the Guangxu Emperor’s reign arrived, the country was already in a state of utter corruption. Empress Dowager Cixi, in an attempt to consolidate the final remnants of the Qing Dynasty’s fortune, committed many acts that went against the interests of the people, leaving them to live in deep suffering. As a child, I most admired the official Lin Zexu. The stories of his anti-opium campaign were very famous in our generation, and as a girl from the south, I was naturally very familiar with his deeds."
"Not long after, while I was still quite young, the Qing Dynasty collapsed. Upon entering the Republican era, I only knew that the country was frequently plagued by war and turmoil; it seemed as though my family never knew a moment of peace. There were seven children in our family, and I was the fourth daughter. Growing up, I was not particularly valued by my parents. Although we were not extremely poor—because my parents and grandparents had been merchants in the south and left behind a little savings—with the instability of the country, it was clear that we would soon be struggling to put food on the table. Therefore, relying on the fact that I had studied for a few years and knew how to read and write, I was considered a literate and sensible girl. To help support the family, I went out to find work as a scribe. I spent many years in this profession. My writing stall was located not far from the bustling city centre; I chose that spot in the hope of attracting more customers and understanding the social situation. For a woman’s heart, I had a very keen understanding of the changes in that era, and I always hoped that I could do something for the country and the world. Although I was just a woman of limited strength and dared not hope for too much, that aspiration always existed deep in my heart."
Service in the Face of War
"When I reached middle age, I remember I was in my fifties when the War of Resistance Against Japan officially broke out. The ensuing years of war left the entire nation in misery, and we lived through truly painful times. Because I did not have bound feet and was a woman with an open mind, I resolutely wanted to go to the war zones to do something for the people. I was originally just a scribe, so I lacked other practical skills for daily life. Therefore, when I signed up for the volunteer support work, I discovered that in terms of many skills, I could not compare to others, and I did not know what I could do to assist the army. However, I did not overthink it; I simply joined the support forces. At that time, the North China region had completely fallen into the midst of war. I kept heading north, following the large, grand army, wanting to go to the front lines to provide support."
"The days spent in the volunteer army were very fulfilling. Since I was a child, I have loved helping others, holding the mindset that 'as long as one does not lose heart, anything can be done.' Whether it was washing clothes, cooking, or mending clothes, even if it was rough work, I was willing to take it on. As long as my body was capable of doing it, I had no desire to escape. Such days continued for several years. At that time, my age actually made me one of the older members of the volunteer army, and my courage was praised by the people around me. It is a pity that, limited by my physical condition, I could not continue forward. In fact, it was already nearing the end of the War of Resistance, but we were unaware of it. After my body finally began to collapse, I retired from the army and returned to my hometown."
From Scribe to Hell Guard
"By then, I was over sixty years old. Having never married, I had dedicated my entire youth to various tasks, from being a scribe to a member of the volunteer army. My whole life, I was thinking about how to make others more comfortable and happy. So, when I was a scribe, I was a diligent, honest, and kind-hearted one. I only wrote good words, never bad ones; I only wrote words that promoted peace and harmonious living, and I would never write words that caused people afflictions. This philosophy permeated my entire life. Even after I retired from the volunteer army, I remained the helpful grandmother in the village. My life did not last very long, but in those war-torn years, living to be sixty or seventy was already considered a very good age. During a minor illness, I felt my body becoming increasingly weak, and so, one night, I departed from the human world."
"At that time, I went directly to report before King Yama. King Yama looked at the story of my life and did not say much, because my merits indeed outweighed my faults, and my mistakes were not enough to warrant evil retribution. Therefore, King Yama smiled, feeling that I was naturally kind and helpful, and perhaps I could be qualified for the position of a 'hell guard.' King Yama did indeed grant me the position of a guard, allowing me to continue serving people in the hells and helping them turn from evil to good. I accepted this duty with great , and thus I served as a hell guard for several decades. During these decades, I went from not knowing the Buddha’s teachings to hearing them. It turned out that these Dharma sounds came from the lectures of Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. All these causal conditions were truly magnificent. Many of the guards in the hells, like me, originally did not know the Buddha’s teachings and only began to hear them after arriving in the hells. We all made vows long ago to follow the Buddha to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, but we had been waiting in line until recently, when it was finally our turn."
A Heart Full of Gratitude
"It is precisely because we were chosen and it was our turn to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss that I, your disciple Chiang Yun-ting, hold a heart of immense gratitude and wish to say thank you to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Without your painstaking efforts for all beings, we would certainly not have had this opportunity, this chance, and these causal conditions. In the hells, we could actually see Practitioner Su’s clearly. What is called Chao Du is the act of guiding beings to a better place—ideally, so that the beings can chant the Buddha’s name themselves and be reborn in the Western Pure Land."
"We have also been constantly counseling the beings in the hells in this way. Practitioner Su often comes to the hells to chant the Buddha’s name and perform Chao Du for everyone; those with karmic affinity naturally enter the light and follow the Buddha to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. This is something that had never happened before. Now, Chiang Yun-ting has arrived in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and my heart is very peaceful. Although I have only just arrived, I have long confirmed that I am one of them. With a heart full of gratitude, I kneel and kowtow, and together with the other guards, we kneel and kowtow to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, grateful for the Buddha’s compassion in giving us this opportunity to come here."
